Pencil-sharpener



lNoModel.) W K PENCIL SHARPBNEB.

No. 472,161. Patented Apr. 5, 1892.

nnl PEYERE cm, Pucrro-umo., vusnmarau n 4:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WVILLIAM K. OULVER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PENCIL-SHARPENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 472,161, dated April 5,1892.

Application filed February 9, 1892. Serial No. 420,834. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM K. OULVER, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPencil-Sharpeners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a device for sharpening pencils, which isdesigned to be automatic to such an extent as to insure an even andperfect point Without regard to the skill of the operator.

My improvements are illustrated in the drawings by meansof threefigures, of which Figure 1 is a side View; Fig. 2, an end View, and Fig.3 a section taken in line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

In general construction, as will be seen in the drawings,my device inits preferredform is modeled after a pair of shears, one of the bladesbeing adapted to hold a removable knife and the other being extendedinto a suitable holder for the pencil. When the latter is in place, thesharpening is performed by working the device after the manner of a pairof shears. I do not claim this general construction, knowing the same tobe old; but my improvements are directed particularly to the holding ofthe lead-pencil in the best possible Way, making the holder thereforself-adjustable to anysize of pencil, and providing means forautomatically turning the pencil by the cutting motion of the knife. Ihave also made certain minor improvements, which will becarefullydescribed, and pointed out in the appended claims.

Applying reference-letters to the drawings, A B are respectively the twomembers of the sharpener, having the handles a b and being pivoted at O.The handle A is extended beyond the pivot O and provided with a block D,upon which the pencil may rest, and with an upwardly-extending arm E,having laterally-extending rings or eyes 6, in whicha holso as to turnfreely, the ends of said holder having slits f cut therein to enable thesame to be sprung inward. The holder is made of spring metal, thecentral portion being large enough to accommodate the largest-sizedpencils in common use, and the ends being sprung inward sufficiently tograsp firmly the smallest. This, it will readily be seen, makes theholder self-adjustable to all sizes of pencils and causes it toaccurately center the same upon the block D. About the holder F areratchet-teeth f, and a spring G is pivoted upon a projecting arm 9 ofthe member B, which spring has a hooked point adapted to low cylindricalrotatable holder F is placed,

engage with the ratchet-teeth in its back- 4 ward movement, and turn thepencil slightly. This spring is held in place by means of a screw 9'.The member B has also upon its free end a knife H, secured thereto bymeans of a screw h, so that it can be taken off to be sharpened.

Various modifications of these devices are possible, and I do not intendto limit myself to the exact construction shown; but

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In apencil-sharpener and in combination with a suitable sharpening device, arotatable pencil-holder suitably geared to the sharpening device,whereby the operation of the lat ter automatically rotates the pencil.

2. The combination, with the members A B, one of which is provided witha knife and the other with a rotatably-mounted holder F, bearing theratchet-teeth f, of the spring G, attached to the knifebearing memberand having a hooked end adapted to engage with said ratchet-teeth,subst'antiallyas described.

WILLIAM K. CULVER.

WVitnesses:

L. M. THOMAS, CHARLES O. SHERVEY.

